Flight delays are a great thing for airport vendors

Anyone that has ever had a delayed flight knows that the price of a bottle of water on the other side of the security gates at an airport are, to put it mildly, insane. I had to buy a bottle of water the first time I took a flight after the rule banning outside beverages from passing the security checkpoint, I could not believe just how high the price of a bottle of water was.

That is why it did not surprise me this morning when one of the articles at MSNBC proclaimed: How airports profit while you wait.

Yes, it's true, every time a flight is delayed, it is profits for the vendors and shops that line the airport terminal. From food to magazines, coffee to pain medications for that building tension headache... the vendors are cashing in on the misfortune of travelers.

I'd like to tell you how to combat it, but I'm not sure just what can be done aside from taking along something to read in your carry on, eating before you get to the airport, and maybe packing an empty water bottle that you can fill from a drinking fountain on the far side of the security checkpoint.